Scotland: Corporate and commercial

Corporate and commercial: Edinburgh and Glasgow

Key figures at Anderson Strathern include Simon Brown, who has more than 30 years of experience in corporate work and M&A; and John Kerr, who was lead adviser to the shareholders of MacLean Electrical Group in its sale to DistributionNOW. In 2015, Mark Cowie joined from McClure Naismith LLP and Douglas McLachlan was hired from DWF.

Scotland: Dispute resolution

Commercial litigation

Anderson Strathernβs diverse client base includes banks, football clubs and government departments. A group led by Katrina Lumsdaine recently acted for Rangers International Football Club (and its subsidiary) in a number of high-profile actions, including a claim brought by former chairman Charles Green. Fraser Geddes leads the team, which in 2015 handled three cases in the Supreme Court.

Scotland: Finance

Insolvency and corporate recovery

Anderson Strathern acts for banks, insolvency practitioners and government agencies. Its work for the latter is particularly noted; HMRC and The Accountant in Bankruptcy are key clients. Katrina Lumsdaineβs team is acting for Baker Tilly in the administration of Pihl UK Ltd.

Scotland: Human resources

Employment

Anderson Strathernβs βexcellentβ practice includes Alun Thomas, who is singled out for his contentious advice to education institutions; Barry Nichol, who represented the University of Stirling in a Supreme Court case regarding redundancy consultations and the conclusion of fixed-term contracts; and Paul Brown, who joined from DWF and βknows clientsβ businesses inside outβ.

Health and safety

Anderson Strathern acts for the Health and Safety Executive in prohibition notice appeals, and the Scottish Prison Service in Crown Censure cases. Other clients include Scotmid and INEOS. Jonathan Guy heads the practice.

Pensions

Anderson Strathernβs senior associate Steven Dunn has a strong practice advising on public sector pension issues and SIPP issues. Highlights included advising the Royal College of Nursingβs members on issues with the interpretation of the scheme regulations.

Scotland: Private client

Agriculture and estates

Anderson Strathern is singled out for its βvery high degree of knowledgeβ. Work includes estate purchases, energy transactions and residential developments. Team head John Mitchell is advising Buccleuch Group on several voluntary registrations. Other clients include The Crown Estate.

Charities and not-for-profit

Anderson Strathern provides βclear and positiveβ advice on governance matters, public service spinouts and trust restructuring. John Kerr is βvery supportive; he delivers on his promisesβ. Clients include The Royal Zoological Society for Scotland.

Family

Anderson Strathern βbrings a level of professionalism and diligence that is hard to replicate elsewhereβ. Work includes cohabitation agreements, and divorces with multinational assets. Janice Jones heads the practice following her arrival from Harper Macleod LLP.

Personal tax, trusts and executries

Anderson Strathern is noted for its βhigh degree of organisationβ when overseeing large-scale estates. Areas of work include advice on heritage property, personal injury trusts and family offices. Anne Henderson βconnects well with clients and understands their situations very quicklyβ. Also recommended are John Biggar and the βapproachable and thoughtfulβ Colin Henderson, who jointly lead the practice.

Scotland: Projects, energy and natural resources

Energy (excluding oil and gas)

Anderson Strathern is the sole Scottish legal adviser to the Crown Estate, which it advises on offshore renewable energy projects. Elsewhere, Bruce Farquhar, Martin Whiteford, Audrey Cameron and others are acting for Bright Green Hydrogen as the lead partner in the consortium behind the Levenmouth Community Energy Project. In the onshore wind space, clients include developers and wind turbine manufacturers.

Projects

Anderson Strathern has a strong reputation in the Scottish education sector; Karyn Watt and Pat Loftus are advising Fife College on a multi-party project involving a new build. The firm acts for a sizeable roster of public sector clients, as well as private sector entities such as homebuilders and consultancy firms. In 2015, Mark Cowie joined from McClure Naismith LLP and Martin Whiteford made partner.

Scotland: Public sector

Education

Clients of Anderson Strathern rate it as βone of only a handful of firms to have a meaningful degree of knowledge and experience of education lawβ. The firm advises universities and schools on issues including legislative, outsourcing, employment and civil liability matters. Practice head Alun Thomas represented the University of Stirling in a Supreme Court case against the UCU regarding fixed-term employees.

Health

In addition to handling medical product liability and professional discipline issues for clients including the General Dental Council and the Royal College of Nursing, Anderson Strathernβs health practice also advises on research contracts, and public law matters for the GMC. Catriona Watt heads the practice.

Local government

Anderson Strathern advises local authorities and armβs-length external organisations (ALEOs) on construction, state aid and redevelopment projects. Practice head Audrey Cameron advised Clyde Gateway on the construction of a new Β£24m headquarters for Police Scotland.

Parliamentary and public affairs

Anderson Strathern is βone of the best firms in Scotland for public lawβ. Practice head Fiona Killen is advising Universities Scotland on the Higher Education Governance (Scotland) Bill. Robert Carr, who is rated for his βconfidence-inspiring mannerβ, advises the Crown Estate.

In addition to acting for public sector clients, Drew Morrisβ group at Anderson Strathern advises private sector organisations in areas such as retail, energy and healthcare. Anne McGregor and senior associate Fiona McKinnon are advising Intu Properties on the management and development aspects of its Intu Braehead portfolio. Joan Devine joined HBJ Gateley.

Construction

Environment

In 2015, Anderson Strathernβs Alastair McKie dealt with contentious matters before the Court of Session, Supreme Court and Directorate of Planning and Appeals. McKie is currently handling a Supreme Court appeal for Ross Estates Company concerning its opposition to a proposed waste-to-energy combined heat and power plant. Sarah Baillie acted for Healthcare Environmental Group in two PPC environmental permit appeals before the Scottish Ministers.

Planning

Anderson Strathernβs practice advises on the planning aspects of projects in the retail, energy, infrastructure and housing sectors, among others. Clients include INEOS, Dandara Group and South Ayrshire Council. Alastair McKie is assisting Buccleuch Estates and Hermitage Action Group with opposing a planning application for a wind farm development in the Scottish Borders.

Property litigation

Anderson Strathern leverages its strengths in areas such as commercial property, renewable energy and agriculture and estates to deal with a wide range of property disputes. Its team acts for a number of public and private sector clients, such as Midlothian Council, Kwik-Fit Group and Transport Scotland. Fiona Stephenβs group includes Kirsty Slee, who is βbright and focusedβ, and Shirley Evans. Joan Devine joined HBJ Gateley.

The Cayman Islands government has now introduced
legislative changes which will require relevant companies (βRelevant Companiesβ) to prepare and
maintain a register of beneficial owners (the βRegister of Beneficial Owners β).